Fashion Swapping Spikes As Clothing Sales Drop - Two Ways to Start

Because swapping and clothing exchanges are part of the unofficial economy, it's hard to get a direct statistic on how much so-called "recession chic" has grown since the dawning of the global depression. Clothing and accessory sales have gone down about 6.5% in the last year. But two trends tell a story: the first is growing membership in different swapping Meet Up groups. The second is the rise of sites related to swaps, not only Big Wardrobe with its designer focus but also swapstyle.com, Clothing Swap, and green-oriented Rehash. And why not? Swapper Suzanne Agasi says women use only 20 percent of their wardrobe 80 percent of the time! So it makes sense to peel off some of that unused portion cluttering the closet, and swap (or in the UK "swish") it.

Swapping is also a way to replenish second-hand stores and charity shops - as the Guardian reports that the recession has caused donations to go down, but at the end of swaps, hosts usually donate what isn't traded.Two Ways to Start Clothes SwappingThe first way to get into clothes swapping is to find a Meet Up swap group nearest you. Head to ClothesSwap at Meet Up.com and see what you find - New York's group has over 500 members. If there's nothing nearby, or even if there is, the second best way to get in on clothes swapping is to host a party yourself. Master swapper Suzanne Agasi gives some tips to how to go about it - it's not hard. Via: Seattle Times